An article in The New York Times recently discussed the consequences of having digital assistants like Google Home and Alexa in the home. What can these devices actually hear and what are Amazon and Google planning in the future for these devices?

Right now, these devices are activated by either pushing a button or saying a phrase like “Hey, Google.” So, they are not always in the “on” mode and only recording and processing audio once they are activated.

However, both companies have filed patent applications that provide details on how these devices could begin to monitor actions outside of just when activated. And that information could then be used to target users via their interests and be used to serve ads and product recommendations.

For example, in one of the diagrams within the application, Amazon demonstrated how a telephone conversation between two friends could result in one friend being offered discount tickets to the zoo and the other seeing an ad for a wine club.

Numerous other scenarios were also outlined in the applications. But both companies have stated that they take customers’ privacy seriously and were not planning to use voice recordings at this time for targeted advertising. Additionally, they stated that the patents that were filed for these innovative technologies would take quite a few years to come to fruition and do not reflect current developments to products and services.

See the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/business/media/amazon-google-privacy-digital-assistants.html